Nightmare
by Avelister
Summary: It's the things he can't control that tend to scare him the most. Hiccstrid. One-shot.


A gut wrenching scream ripped itself from Astrid's throat, and Hiccup's insides twisted as if a knife had been stabbed straight through him, just as he felt every time her sounds of agony filled the small healing hut at the corner of the village. He held one of her hands in his, his other hand gently brushing across her glistening forehead as he whispered encouraging words to her. Hiccup tried to recall when she had gone into labor, but his frazzled mind couldn't pin point when it happened, only that it had, else they wouldn't be here, both his and Astrid's mother accompanied by Gothi working hurriedly at the end of the bed. He had caught their worried glances several times; never meant for him, but for each other, and Hiccups heart raced in his chest with worry.

He knew the complications that came with giving birth during the colder months, everyone did. It was always an unavoidable factor in having a child that could easily be cast to the side if intended planning wasn't involved (it never was, mid him), And so here they were.

Astrid let out another piercing wail before her body slumped back against the pillows behind her. Her hand that was locked in his beginning to slack. That gave him pause, and he looked away from where their mothers were working to his tiring wife. Seconds later a small wail filled the room; Hiccup looked over to find his mother hurriedly handing the newborn off to Astrid's mother. She glanced up at him, a watery smile meeting his eyes. "It's a girl."

Hiccup let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in, momentary joy filling him as he looked back to Astrid.

"You did _so_ so good babe," He encouraged, squeezing her hand to get her attention. She didn't acknowledge him as he did, and his stomach _sank_. Her breathing was still labored, but her skin was beginning to pale and her eyes were unfocused. He brought his hand from her forehead to the side of her face, thumb rubbing at her flushed cheeks as he searched for face for any reaction.

"Astrid," He tried. Nothing.

"Babe, look at me." Fear began to set in. _Gods_ something had gone so wrong so quickly. Fear began to grip him like a vise.

"Mom," he looked towards his mother, eyes searching her face for any other answer than the one that his brain was drawing up.

She looked up at him from where she was still tediously working between Astrid's legs, eyes filled with worry as she shook her head. He could tell she was holding back words, and part of him wishes that she had.

"She's lost too much blood Hiccup, I—" She looked back to where she was working. Hiccup could only guess she was trying in vain to stifle the blood flow.

Hiccup looked back towards his wife, and his heart turned to ice.

The rise and fall of her chest had seized.

She had stopped breathing.

His breathing began to quicken in panic, his eyes darting back to his mother whose bloodied hand had been brought to cover her mouth, watery eyes trained on the girl's prone body.

Hiccup shook his head, tears beginning to blur his vision as he looked back towards his wife's body.

"_No_. No, no no _no no_," His desperate please seemed to be ringing in his own ears as he began to shakily take her ashen face into his hands, tears freely falling.

"Astrid _please_ don't do this to me—" His voice quaked and he struggled to take in another breath.

"_Astrid!"_

Hiccup awoke with a start, shooting up from his spot on the bead as sweat was beading off his forehead, tears wetting his cheeks and his hands gripping the furs like his life depended on it. His breathing was labored, and he struggled to take in each gasping breath as his brain registered where he was, and that the horror that he had just witnessed was only a dream.

A terrifyingly realistic dream.

"Hiccup," A cooling hand landed on the side of his face, and his head whipped to the side to find his wife's worried eyes glaring back at him.

That was all it took to further break his resolve as his mind flashed images of the nightmare back into his head as green stared into blue, and his walls crumbled. Hiccup released a choked breath of relief, one of his hands finding hers on the side of his face as the other grabbed for her form, pulling her towards him into as tight of an embrace as her swollen stomach would allow. His hand that was secured around her began to blindly roam her form, brushing over her shoulders, carding through her hair; it was all his subconscious could do to assure himself that she was here, alive in his arms.

"Babe, you're worrying me, what's wrong?" Her voice was still thick with sleep while her thumb rubbed at his tear-dampened cheek. He could only shake his head from its place on her shoulder as he tried to calm his wired nerves with a deep, shaky breath.

"Nightmare," he gulped, shaking his head as more unwanted images flashed back into his mind, and he quenched his eyes shut, hoping the images would dissipate before long. "You—you died." Another tear escaped before he even realized it was there. "Baby." He squeezed out the last word, knowing she would understand where his fear lied. Their recent talk about the implications must have been what spurred his mind to paint a horrifying picture for him.

"Oh, babe." Her voice filled with sorrow as she brought her other hand over to card through his hair, fingers scratching lightly at his scalp in an attempt to calm him down. "I'm ok, everything is going to be ok, I promise."

Even though he could feel himself slowly calming down, fear still gripped his heart like ice.

"So—so scared. I _am_ scared." He confessed. Even though he hadn't admitted that to anyone but himself, having it out there for her to hear didn't stifle the feeling of 'what-if' that still gripped him.

She shook her head against him, hand stilling in his hair as she hugged him tighter to her.

"Don't be scared, I'm right here."

His heart cried out at him to believe her, but that dream had shattered through his resolve he had built up against the wavering fears they would be facing within the month. All he could do was hold onto the hope that everything would somehow turn out ok.

"I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
